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We are very excited to announce that from just before Easter, our long awaited campsite will be open. It is a Camping and Caravanning site, so for details go here (please note, you must be a member to use our campsite)

And the brewery turns 10 this year! There will be lots of events and celebrations to mark the occasion, including our August Beer Fest and we will keep you updated re these on here and on Twitter and Facebook.

We can’t tell you now many times we’ve wanted to fill you all in on what we’ve been doing, but we’ve held back. Too many false starts, dashed hopes and straight forward hard slog.

But we’ve finally found our little piece of heaven. Not in East Devon, not in Somerset. We were wrong about that. No, our paradise is in the outstanding village of Sutcombe in North Devon.

It is here we start again.

From noon on 28th November 2015 we launch our bottle shop and tasting room. To begin with, this will be open Saturdays up until Christmas. The brewery itself will follow fast and furiously behind, with a planned opening for early Spring 2016.

Just what have Art Brew been up to of late I hear you ask? (well maybe you aren’t asking, but I’m going to tell you anyway).

As it happens there has been quite a lot going on. We sold our old kit to a bloke called Vic. He’s a good guy and has set up as “The Cerne Abbas Brewery”. We’re actively looking around for a site to set up our new venture and although we’ve seen quite a few good-uns, we’ve not found the perfect place yet. As exciting as hunting for an amazing spot to set up home, brewery, taphouse and campsite is, it not only doesn’t need both of us doing it, it also doesn’t pay the bills. So I needed to find a job.

(this is Vic on our old kit!)

Thanks to an amazing amount of twitter help directing people to my job advert and a good word put in by Tom of Celt Experience Brewery, I found one brewing for the Great Yorkshire Brewery (formerly The Cropton Brewery) in Cropton.

The team in Yorkshire are really looking after me and it’s great that I’m still brewing in this interim phase. There’s always new things to learn in brewing and since I’ve been there I’ve learnt a lot and hopefully they’ve learnt some things from me too. So far I’ve just been brewing to their recipes, but they’re keen for me to do one of my style of beers for them as soon as it can be squeezed into the hectic brew schedule, so watch this space.

As for Art Brew beers, Becky will be brewing some over on Sherfield Village Brewery’s kit in the coming months, so there will be a limited supply mainly in the South East to watch out for.

It would seem that various rumours are saying that we are closed and/or bankrupt. THIS IS NOT TRUE!

Yes we are selling our kit but the brewing won’t actually stop. We’ve had brilliant offers of breweries willing to let us cuckoo brew, so with careful planning, there will be no break in production. Furthermore…………..

Project Campsite with it’s own brewery and brewery tap is ON!

We’re a bit excited.

Now the task in hand is to find the right venue, deal with a load of paperwork and building works then throw the doors open to the public as soon as possible. We are actively hunting for exactly the right spot to set up this dream campsite and brewery – Devon and Somerset have so many amazing places to choose from. Watch this space.

Actually no, Art Brew is selling its brewing equipment. And slowing production for a while. This blog is about why, and what we’re going to do next.

We’ll be honest – over the years we’ve made some duff decisions that have led to debts that have inexorably led to this announcement. No-one else is to blame. Some mistakes have been avoidable, others less so.

In a nutshell, our biggest mistake was location. We set the brewery up a 30 min commute away from home in a county we discovered too late didn’t want to buy our beer very much. And Becky doesn’t drive. We’d moved there to be close to family and after many years in the beer business running specialist real ale pubs, mistakenly believed that local sales would be a big part of our business. Not so in rural Dorset. Faced with this in the early months, we had to decide whether to give up straight away or find another way. We decided to find another way, and that was to take the beer to where it was wanted (London, Reading, Birmingham, Cambridge etc). This meant yet more long hours for John behind the wheel leaving Becky at home with the kids and not brewing. Yup, we know, should have seen that coming.

Then our youngest became ill, and has stayed that way a lot of the time. Not life threatening by the way, but looking increasingly like she needs more time at home with us to flourish.

But here’s the thing – we bloody love our job. And are massively proud of our beers. We’re not giving up AND we have a plan. A cunning plan.

Once debts are paid, wounds are licked, and perhaps some days off have happened, our dream (which is actually looking possible bizarrely – not able to explain this at the mo, but just believe us!) is to open a downsized brewery, brewery tap and bottle shop on site of our own campsite somewhere in East Devon or South Somerset. We’d also live there meaning we can juggle work, kids and the extra needs of our youngest without having to constantly cope with all the expensive time wasting commute and weekly long distance deliveries. We’d continue to supply all our present customers (if you still wanted us!?) but it would happen less frequently.

So, when most breweries are expanding and opening sexy bars in city centres, we’re (hopefully) downsizing and opening a brewery tap and campsite in Devon or Somerset. THAT’S HOW WE ROLL!

There’s going to be a limbo phase as obviously this will take time. We’re going to pursue any opportunities to cuckoo brew, so for those of you who have been so supportive either by stocking our beers or drinking them, our hope is that, though stock will be limited, we’ll never completely stop production and you’ll still be able to get hold of our goodies.

Lastly, WOW, just WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. We’ve been blown away over the years by the support and incredible stuff you guys have written and spoken about us. We honestly set up to be a local brewery, ticking over, making enough for our little family. When that couldn’t happen, we accidentally got known (albeit in a tiny way) nationally. It’s been the most extraordinary time of our lives. We’ve both found our perfect job, and with our perfect working partner. You all helped with that. Even if this all falls through, what an incredible ride it’s been. Honestly, it’s been humbling and unforgettable. Thanks – massively.

Oh, by the way, if you want to buy our rather good kit, email us on artbrewdorset@gmail.com or go here